Snow plow device or the like



April 23, 1940. c. DE BRUN sNow PLow DEVICE 0E THE L IKE Filed June 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 April, 23, 1940. C, DE BRUN ZJQSA? SNOW PLOW DEVICE OR THE LIKE Filed June 22, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1940. C DE BRUN 2,198,407

SNOW PLOW DEVICE OR THE LIKE Filed June 22. 1956 s sheets-sheet '5 @n ggd@ @M/M `Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 22, 1936, serial No. 86,677

In France February Z5, .1936

` Claims. (CI.` 37-43) My invention` relates to an improved snow plow device or the like adapted' to be displaced on` a road from which it clears awayvthe snow or part of the snow covering same, and has for 51 its object a number of characteristic arrangements which can be applied to such a device to make it very economical, rapid and perfect in operation and easy `to use.

Said characteristic arrangements are prefer- 10.` ably all used in combination, but some of themv can be used separately, as will be explained herenafter, even in a device of al different type from that which will be described by way od. example, without exceeding the scope of the invention.

A rst particular characteristic arrangement concerns. the main snow plow member which comprises at least one shovel, carried by anarm or the like which an engine of any type rotates i and oftheforward speedi of the snow plow.

Preferably, said shovel, which is of troughlike shape, is of increasing width from its end nearest the axis of rotation to its end farthest away from said axis;

The snow is cut up into pieces by said shovel, falls to the bottom of the latter and, the pieces of snow are projected-without breaking up--in a practically horizontal direction along the sides of the road or the like owing to thekinetic energy which is imparted tofthem by the rotation at reduced speed.

Preferably said` shovel is placed against another shovel, carried by the same arm or the like, and symmetrical with the rstfshovel relatively to a plane passing through said. axis of. rotation, one shovel or the other of the group thus formed operating according to whether theA rotation about` said axis isV one direction or the other and: the snow being. then projected on one side of the road or ontthe other.` l

According` to a preferred embodimenttof ther Said shovel` or shovelling deviceco-operatesi with a shield having at its ends two shares which are substantially symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane passing through the aforesaid axis of rotation and consist of one or a plurality of surfaces which are inclined so as to guide the 5` snow from the outside towards the centre while raising same. The extreme side edge of each of said shares is substantially parallel to the aforesaid plane and its-distance from said plane is preferably a little less than the radius of the 10 circle swept through by the shovel or shovelling device. The latter thus leaves a clean track behind it in the snow and a vertical-walled passage. Furthermore, each of said shares has at its lower endl a horizontal edge arranged infront 15- oi the wheels, caterpillars or the like, in the direction ofl movement ot the chassis corresponding to the operation of the shovel or shovelling device, so as to sweep the rolling surface. The two horizontal edges thus arranged dene the posi- 20 tionoi the vehicle relatively tothe road (the depth of penetration of the wheels or the like into the snow being known) and, consequently, the thickness ofi snow which is aiected by the apparatus and which is adjusted as will be hereinafter explained so as to. be appropriate to the power of the engine actuating the shovel or shovelling device.

The unit formed by the shovel or shovelling device, the engine driving the latter, whether in- 30 dependent or not, and the shield, is advantageously mountedl on an independent frame carried by the chassis of the snow plow so as to enable it to rock about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said chassis under the action of a controlling member permitting the height to be adjusted and the shovel. or shovelling device to be held out of contact with the snow, even during the working of; the apparatus.

A second series` of particular characteristic arrangements. of. the snow plow according to the invention, consists in4 arranging at the other end ofA the chassis relatively tothe shovel or shovelling device,. a snow plow member consisting .for example of 4a stem-shaped member or scraper 45 which is adjustable in height, and which enables the returnof` the apparatus in the opposite directionitothat corresponding to the Operation of the shovel,` shovelling device or the like, to be readilyvand usefully eected in that. it thereby 5()` removes a layer of snow` from the road.

A thirdl series ofi particular characteristic arrangements ofthe apparatus concerns the chassis carryingf the group: of` snow plow members and which can.` advantageously consist of anordinary ISIS` l by wide windows 9 provided with glass.

for it, without exceeding the scope of the inven`` tion, in motor chassis which arenot intended to serve as supports for snow plows.

An important characteristic of this latter arrangement consists in the fact that there are Y two steering wheels co-operating with the same steering shaft and actuating it through the instrumentality of gears arranged so that the reilexes of the driver are the same vfor either direction of travel.

Furthermore, there are advantageously provided two clutch pedals mounted on the same shaft, and the gear change lever preferably has an extension enabling the driver t0 operate the apparatus from either of his two seats.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will moreover result from` the ensuing description taken in conjunction withV the accompanying drawings, which are given merely by way of example and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly broken away of an embodiment of the snow plow, it being supposed that the wheels, the chassis and the scraper are removed from one side;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding general plan view,

partly broken away, the shovelling device being removed; Y t

Fig. 3 is a front View of the part of the vehicle carrying the shovelling device;

Fig. 4 is an elevation on a larger Vscale showing the steering control;` v

Fig. 5 shows the reducing device on a larger scale, partlybroken away.

According to the embodiment shown, the snow plow assembly is carried by armotor car chassis l which has been assumed to be mounted on four driving and guiding wheels 2, equipped With single pneumatic tires of large cross-section, and actuated by an engine arranged in a bonnet 3 and suiciently powerful to move the chassis with its load up a slope of 1 in 10.

Said chassis is controlled by a driver seated on either of two seats 5 and 6 arranged in a cab 'i provided with a door 8 and closed on all sides Said seats 5 and 6 correspond to the forward and backward travel of the snow plo-w relatively to the engine and enabling the driver to always face the road over which he is travelling. and to watch the operation of the apparatus.`

The steering and controlling members are arranged in said cab 1 in such a manner that the control can be eifected by a driver seated on either of the seats 5 and 6. Two steering wheels i3 .and I4 are provided, arranged respectively opposite both driving seats and carried by shafts l! and l2 respectively transmitting their movement to the steering shaft l0 through the instrumentality of gears arranged in a housing I5.. As shown in Figure 4, the steering shaft I0 carries atits end a gear I1 meshing with a gear I8 keyedon the shaft Il. Another gear I9 is keyed on this :same shaftllI and meshes witha gear 2li keyed on the'shaft l2. Owing to this arrangement the reflexes of the driver remain, for driving, normal for both directions of travel.

Similarly,r two pedals 22 and 23 control the clutch shaft 24 and correspond to the positions of the driver seated on either of the two seats 5 and 6. The supply of gas is regulated by means of a lever 25 acting on the accelerator pedal 26; said lever as` the gear change lever 21Y which has asegmental extension 28 provided with three handles, is always accessible to the driver. Only a single brake pedal 29 has been provided which 'can only be operated from the seat 5, since a second 'pedal` did not appear to be necessary owing to Vthe reduced speed of the machine. There exists,"moreover, a hand brake lever 30 which can bel actuated when the driver is on the seats5 and 6.

The cab 1 also contains the control members for the main snow plow and consisting of levers Siwhich canfbe moved on segments 32. On the chassis l is mounted a rigid frame 33 pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 34, carried by the Vchassis l directly behind the cab 1. Said frame 33 can rock under the effectof oildriven pistons 35 brought into action by means of a power take-off provided on the engine driving the vehicle.

The frame 33 carries an engine 31 securedat three points tothe latter, driven by petrol, gasknown type having gears enclosed in an oil-tight case and comprises two speeds controlled by the displacement of the claw 45, and a reversing gear controlledV by the claw 46. N Y

The group comprising the engine 31, the coupling 3 9, the reducer 40, carried by the frame 3.3,

is covered by a bonnet 41.

"lfh'e snow plow member 43 consists of four identical groups of two shovels 53-54, 55-56, SI1-58,y 59-6i, containing about 100 to 150 litres,

at right angles and xedto a forged steel plate 52 ofv large diameter. 'Ihe two shovels forming each group, and which are arranged between twov metal plates 63 and 64, are symmetrical relatively to a plane passing through the centre line of the shaftlll, eitherr of said two shovels operating according to the direction of rotation of the shovelling device.

Saidshovels, two of which, 51 and 58, are seen in endview in AFigure -1, are of trough-like shape Widening from the part nearest the shaft 4I to the part which is farthest, from the latter, and their cuttingedge 6I is turned in a direction, which coincides withthe resultant R (Fig. l) of the speed V of rotation of the lshovel and the speed 1J, of travel of the chassis, and which enables them to penetrate into the snow without dioulty. 'l

The snow is conveyed to "the snowplow member by means of a shield 65, fixed to the end of the frame 33, directly and by means of struts 66. The width ofthe shieldis a littleless than the diameter of the snow plow member.` The shield.

654s provided with symmetrical shares 61v and placed symmetrically on four arms 5| arranged gressively raising it. Each of said shares has a substantially vertical edge 69, leaving `a clean `means of the pistons 35.

track in the snow, and a horizontal Hedge 10, clearing the wheel track. i

As shown in the drawings, each share consists of an inclined surface disposed below said snow plow member and in its major part between the two vertical transversal planes perpendicular to the axis of said member and passing respectively through the front and rear ends of said member. Said inclined surface slopes both in the direction of said axis and in the direction of the vertical plane containing said axis. Fur-` ther, as clearly shown on Fig. 2, each share 6l and Et terminates by a rearwardly inclined edge so that a wedge shaped space is formed between them.

The apparatus is completed by a snow plow stem-member lil or scraper arranged at the front of the chassis l and of which the height can be adjusted by means of the screws 1B.

The operation is as follows:

The machine is working in reverse. The width of its tires enables it to mount on the layer of `snow into which it sinks to a certain depth. The

height of the frame 33 carrying the shield 65 is adjusted by means of the pistons 35, so that, allowing for said depth of sinking, the layer of snow to be engaged by the shovelling device corresponds to the power of the engine 31. If the snow is not very thick, the shield is lowered to 5 cm. from the ground and the apparatus only leaves on the ground a layer of snow which can at` most attain to 15 cm.

The speed of travel ofthe chassis is regulated according to the height of the snow `and its weight; it can vary from 400 to 4000 meters per hour.

To complete the clearing operation, the frame carrying the engine 31, the shovel or shovelling device 43 and its shield 65, is raised by The rear part of the vehicle being thus raised above the ground, the front stem-member 'l5 is lowered by means of the screws lf3. The apparatus is then ready for use as a snow plow for forward travel, removing a iayer of snow which can attain 50 cm. and which is thrown onto the side.

During a further backward journey, the shield being again lowered, the passage can be gwidcned from 50 to 80 cm.

by further forward and backward journeys, the necessary width can be cleared. l i

Of course, the invention is in no way limited,`

to the embodiment illustrated and described herein, which has only been chosen by way of example. l

What I claim is:

l.. in a snow plow device including a vehicle, means for propelling said carriage and a rotatable snow plow member supported at one end of said carriage, snow plow `member including a plate member, rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, radiallydisposed arms fixed on said member, a group of two shovels carried by each of said arms symmetrically disposed with reference to a plane passing through said axis, each of said shovels being of trough-like shape with its concave face directed in a transversal direction with reference to said axis and provided with a cutting edge, two sheet metal plates associated with each group of two shovels, perpendicular to said anis and leaving said cutting edges free, means for rotating the whole `speed of rotation about the aforesaid axis, and the `forward speed of the snow plow device. i 2. A snow removing device comprising a vehicle, a snow plow member `mounted in the front part of said vehicle, said snow plow member including four' radially disposed arms rigid together, equally angularly spaced and rotatably mounted upon an axis, a group of two shovels being carried by each of said arms, each of said shovels being of trough-like shape and the openings of the two shovels of each group, being directed in the opposite directions corresponding to the two directions of rotation of said member, the facing section of the two shovels of a group being opposite the openings, asupporting plate carried at therear of said member, two shares fixed to said supporting plate below said axis and substantially symmetrical with reference to the vertical plane containing the same, each share including an inclined surface portion at least a part of which is disposed between the two` vertical transversal planes, perpendicular to said axis, and passing respectively through the front and rear end of said member, said inclined surface sloping both in the direction of the travel of the vehicle and in the direction `of said verv tical plane containing said axis in such a way as to raise the snow situated on the road on either side of the rotatable snow plow member and to convey it, while` resting upon said shares inthe working zone of said rotating member.

3. A snow plow member adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a shaft rotating at a reduced speed and including `four arms equally spaced about said axis and rigid together, a group of two shovels carried by each of said arms, each of said shovels being of trough-like shape and the opening of the two shovels of each group being directed in the oppositedirections corresponding to the two directions of rotation of said member, the facing sections of the two shovels of a group being opposite the openings.

e. A snow plow member adapted to` be rotatably mounted upon a shaft rotating at a reduced speed and including a plate member, at least one radially disposed arm fixed on said plate member, a group of two shovels carried by saidarm, each of said Shovels being of trough-like shape `and the opening of said two shovels being directed in the opposite directions corresponding to the two directions of rotation of said member, the facing sections of the two shovels of a group `being opposite the openings, `two sheet metal .plates rigid with said group of shovels and connecting said shovels back to back along their whole length. i

5. In the combination of a vehicle and a snowplow member which is mounted at the front part of said vehicle, is rotatable about a horizontal axis parallel with the direction of the movement of the vehicle and includes at least oneradially arranged trough-shaped shovel having its concave face directed in the direction of rotation of said member, a supporting plate carried at the rear of said member, two shares xed to said plate below said snow plow member so that their extreme rear edge is behind said member, said plowshares being substantially symmetrically arranged relatively to the Vertical plane contain-` ing the aforesaid horizontal axis, and each being formed -by a surface that is inclined both in the direction of the forward movementl of the veyhicle and in the direction of said vertical plane and each terminating by a rearwardly inclined 'edge so that a' Wedge-Shaped space is left between them and below the lowest part of the circles described by the points of the snow plow member whichvv are `farthest from said axis, the

f4 n n 2,198,407

'distance of each of said shares from said axis ber Asweeps the snow lying on said inclined sur- 't faces.

CHARLES DE BRUN. 

